Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-06-04
BEN: PERLEY POORE.
GOSSIP ABOUT THE OLDEST OF THE
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENTS.
How He Wheeled a Barrel Of Apples on
Wager-His Wonderful Career Mt
washington-His 10000 Autographs.
A Great Friend Of sumner.
WASHINGTON, May 81
Especial COrrespondence.l

one of the most remarkable newspaper men
| of tile United States He has been a CORE
| spondent here at Washington since the DAYS
| when John Quincy Adams dropped down in
the Capitol as Poore did the other day, and
| he has seen more than a generation rise
and fall. He is the Oldest correspondent at
Washington in point of length of rvice, and
he has made one fortune and spent two in
Washington newspaper work. During all
his life be has been the associate Of public
men, and now, at G7, he has, perhaps, as wide
an acquaintance as any man in the United
States. be is Massachusetts, product. His
father originally intended him for the law,
and sent him to Paris to study in the schools
there. The boy spent five years abroad, and
in this time he Travelled extensively over
Europe, went to Constantinople and thence
to Egypt. ***
AT Cairo he found himself out Of money.
His bankers were the Rothschilds, and he had
expected a remittance from them at this
point. He found that his money had not ar
rived and that he had only seventy-fve cents
III his pockets. He at once went to the Amer
lean authorities at Cairo and they had such
confidence in him that they advanced him
enough. to go up the Nile. When he returned
to Cairo he found his remittance and made
the matter straight.
Maj. Poore's father was man of consider
able prominence. He was merchant in New
| York and was collector as well.
1t was while he was abroad that the Young
man began bis writing and his first letters were
sent to his friends and not to the newspapers
These friends thought so much of the letters
that they gave them to the papers for publ
cation, and Ben: Perley Poore was very
proud when he received commission from
The Boston Atlas to write foreign letters for
1t. BY the time he returned to America he
had become so fond of writing that he con-
cluded not to devote himself to the law, but
to go into the newspaper business, and inter
his return he drifted to Washington His
first visit to Washington was made Just sixty
years ago, and it was just fifty years ago that
he went with his father to visit Andrew
jackson at the Hermitage.
AT this time he asked Jackson for his auto
graph, and Jackson gave it to him, telling
him he did not see why people wanted a
piece OF his handwriting. This was the be-
ginning of Benz Perley Poore's autograph
collection, and it was the first of the 16, 900
and more autographs which he has now filed
away. Maj. Poore has been a collector all his
life, and he has collected everything He has
hundreds of prints of George Washington, and
he has relics of nearly every prominent man
in the United States. His home at Indian
HILL near Newburyport, is perfect museum
of antiquities and curiosities, and with Ben:
Perley Poore as guide a visit to it is worth a
trip across the continent. Maj. Poore has
not, however, made business of collecting
autographs after the style of the autograph
dend of today. He said to me not long ago:
81 never wrote to a man for his AUTOGRAPH
in my life. l have merely saved the things
that have come to me. l do not believe in
autograph hunting, and would not give
cent for the signature of any man. Auto
graphs should not be collected as YOU collect
the front teeth or the fingerpail parings of
any man. If there is no sentiment or associa-
ton connected with the name it is not worth
keeping"
One of Maj. PORES autograph books is en-
titled From Congo to Congress-" 1t is made
up of autographs, pictures and relics which,
taken together, describe the story of Ameri-
can slavery and its abolition. 1t is wonder
full book, and it would bring its weight in
gold at auction.
Maj Poore has heen long noted as an after
dinner talker, and he has been diner out
all his life. There are few public men whose
legs have not touched his under some ones
mahogany, and one of his collections COM
prises a set of the bills of fare of the dinners
he has sat down to. These represent oceans
of champagne, droves of beeves and thou-
sands of terrapm. They have given Mai.
Poore's form an unusual fullness, and now,
at 67, he is one of the heavy weights of Wash
ington. He is rather distinguished looking
character, too. He has large head, bright,
blue eyes and strong, pleasant, blonde face.
His hair is mixed with gray, and his full, red
beard has silver threads among the gold
Prior to his illness he mo 7ed around energct-
icaiiy, and the amount of newspaper work
chat he has been doing is wonderful. He is
very fast writer, and specimen of his speed
may he seen III the Life of Grant," which he
wrote just at the time Grant died. A pub
Usher came to him and said: major, | want
4 Life of Grant, to contain $4,000 words
and l must have it in two months. If YOU
will write it for me will pay you SO much
for IL" This Maj. Poore agreed to, on condi-
ton that they would furnish him with a
stenographer They did so, and he dictated
900 words day and had the whole com.
pleted before the time agreed upon. His
"reminiscences, which We're recently pub
.i5hed, were largely dictated, and he had a
great amount OF matter which he was not
able TO incorporate in them. He has already
made over 81 900 out Of the book and among
the chapters are papers for which he pre-
viously was paid $1,000 by The Atlantic
Monthly He has worked the same matter
yer in newspaper form in times past and so
you see he is getting pretty nice thing out
If his recollections.
Ben: Perley Poore always signs himself
with colon, Ben: Perley Pooze," and his
gray hair would rise in holy horror il his |
name was printed in any other way. 1t was |
in this way that Geo: Washington signed |
himself, and it was thus that Thos: jefferson |
affixed his signature, and Poore is nothing if |
not ancient. He writes a nice hand, and his |
is as pretty as any of that in bis |
immense autograph collection
No one has ever impeached Poore's honesty, |
and bis long life as correspondent here is !
with charge Of lobbying His |
word is as good as his bond, and this recalls |
a bet which he had at the time that Fremont |
was a candidate against Buchanan for the |
presidency. Poore wagered that Fremont |
would be elected, and the wager was that the
loser OF the bet should wheel barrel Of ap-
pies i'll a wheelbarrow from Newburyport to
Boston. The distance was thirty seven miles,
and the day after the election Mai Poore
started. amid the cheers of an enthusiastic
multitude, with his wheelbarrow and apples. !
He was accompanied by reporter Of Bos-
'on paper to see that tha major did not re-